Unseen Worlds: Real-Life Microscopic Creatures Hiding All Around Us

by Hélène Rajcak (Illustrator), Damien Laverdunt (Illustrator)

Look through a microscope and discover a hidden universe of tiny creatures right before your eyes! The perfect book for curious kids aged 8+ Unfold each page to reveal stunningly detailed illustrations bursting with jelly-like amoebae, predatory centipedes, ravenous mosquitos and more mites than you could imagine. From the murky ocean depths to your kitchen cupboard and even inside your nose, you'll travel to locations both familiar and strange as you search for the smallest creatures on Planet Earth. You'll never see the world the same way again!

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Childrens, Picture Books, Animals, Nature

36 pages, Hardcover

Published October 29, 2019

About the author

Hélène Rajcak studied illustration at the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris. She also has a background in engraving and textile design. Her previous books include Small and Tall Tales of Extinct Animals. She lives in Paris.

Reviews

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly fascinating (and at times disturbing!) book looking at the microorganisms in every part of our world. Categorising & presenting them based on where they are found made this interesting and this was then followed by more detailed information at the end of the book. Highly recommended for any young scientist!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stunning sketches of microscopic creatures fill the pages of this book. The text and illustrations take readers to ten different places--habitats, I suppose we could say. A double-page spread is filled with various creatures to be found in that spot with labels and additional information for the creatures found there. There is also an introductory piece as well as a notation of the amount of magnification used so that all this can be visible to the human eye. I enjoyed heading to the beach, to the ocean floor, and into the woods. After reading the section on all the creatures found in the bedding of humans or in the corner of the kitchen or kitchen cabinets, it might be hard to sleep soundly or ever contemplate eating food that has been dropped onto the floor, even for three seconds. Now that readers have seen this heretofore unseen creatures, it may be hard to forget about them. This book would certainly fascinate budding scientists, no matter their age, and foster curiosity in others who just enjoy knowing about stuff of which others are ignorant. I wish the numbers for each of the creatures had been a bit larger since it was hard at times to find them so that I could look at them while reading the descriptions.

[Luana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an utterly gorgeous and detailed representation of microscopic life that combines art and science in the best possible way to illustrate the world of the dust mites and amoebae and teeniest of insects that normally we wouldn't observe. The text itself is readable and interesting (though I did want more but then I had to remind myself of the target age range) but it is the pictures that really draw you in. Unable to find any that will display in here but have found a website that has some good sample pictures :)

www.whatonearthbooks.com/product/unse...

[Emily Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you have a young naturalist in your life? Perhaps this naturalist is blasé about many typical nature non-fiction reads, already being an expert at a tender age. Well, this is the library book/gift to add to your list. It focuses on the microscopic world and all its alien wonder in familiar settings, like a bedroom or beach sand. The illustrations are both gorgeous and terrifying. However, if you or your child is a germaphobe or a lil OCD about things being very clean, this book is not for you because you are never gonna get things clean on the microscopic level and now you will imagine this unseen world all the time.

[Penny lurkykitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unseen Worlds is a beautifully laid out and illustrated microbiology book for kids. It covers a variety of environments from the ocean, to your bed, to the forest floor and a pond. It is good as a reference book or simply as a fun way to learn about small life forms.

[Luuui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faszinierend, aber auch ein bisschen eklig zu erfahren, was in meinem Kopfkissen oder auf dem Küchenboden alles so kreucht und fleucht. Die Tierchen sind wunderschön gezeichnet und nach dem ersten Schaudern lernt man diese Wesen mit Wohlwollen zu betrachten.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The right reader will be fascinated by this book. Others will be terrified after seeing the monsters that inhabit their bedsheets and the sand at the beach. Make sure you know your reader first, because you can't unsee this stuff!

[chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The language was very advanced for a kid’s book without enough explanation. Also the bed section was horrifying hahaha. But I loved the content. This is a good reference book.

[Maree Silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations. It makes your skin crawl a bit as you see all the usually invisible critters that are around us.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has no jacket. The cover has the illustrations printed directly on it. The images of the microbes on the front are printed in high gloss. The rest of the cover is Matt finish. The boards have silhouettes of the microbes. This book is a compendium of microbes found in different environments. The matter in the book has a glossary, index, and where to get more information. There is also a short history the microscope which works with the biography about one of the microscope builders. The media of the illustrations are ink and water color I believe. The illustrations are a double page spread with bleed. The page with the key of the illustration on it also has a flap about twice the size of a regular jacket flap. The paper inside the book is matte. These flaps gives scale microscope magnification and a short description of the environment the microbes are found in.